Ken implies with the 'armada' suggestion that the solution to the UEF woes, at least the Shivan&Ken version, is necessarily military.
Where to target that military is another question. Act 3 seems to imply that the battle for Earth is coming, and although the military position looks bad, I think it's a winnable for the UEF. If it wasn't, Steele would already have attacked. Byrne has had more than a year to fortify earth orbit, although to what degree that's possible in this particular sci-fi setting I'm not certain. But if you look at the fortifications at Artemis Station and in Her Finest Hour, the GTVA have figured out methods to defend small-scale static positions. What's to say the UEF haven't also?
That Steele is on Laporte's list implies that the campaign will set up some kind of showdown with him, where Laporte's actions contribute to his capture or death.
I do think that Laporte's armada is going to be much more directed than just a big fighting force; we'll see it aimed at the secret project, among other things. Basically, the Shivan&Ken route to victory is using precise military force to expose and deal with things happening behind the scenes. Hanging over this in the plot currently is the upcoming battle for Earth, and the question in my mind is if some of these behind the scenes items will be dealt with before that battle, or after.
